Xing Zichou looked at the small head leaning close to him, happiness already overflowing in his eyes.

This was the first time the little girl had ever defended him so openly, and Xing Zichou felt that everything he’d invested before had finally paid off.

“No one will. No one can snatch me away,” he said softly.

As if it were a promise made just for his little girl.

“Great, we’ll get to drink wedding wine soon!” Yue Qinchun said happily, clapping her hands.

“We won’t be this happy again for a while — Jiu’er, shall we have a bit of wine?”

“We’ll drink, just later tonight, how about that?” Feng Jiu’er said, in good spirits herself.

Truth be told, ever since Jian Yi woke up, she felt as if she’d grown several years younger — how could she not be happy?

Everyone chatted and laughed, and lunch soon came to an end.

After lunch, Feng Jiu’er slept a full two-hour nap.

Those two hours were likely the most relaxed time she’d had in these past ten days or so.

With so much weighing on her mind, she hadn’t been able to sleep long at any given time.

Before noon was quite over, Feng Jiu’er woke naturally from her sleep.

The moment she woke, she sensed someone else was in the room.

Feng Jiu’er sat up in bed, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and looked at the tall figure not far away.

“Jian Yi, can you not just walk into other people’s bedrooms as you please? It’s rude, you know?”

Jian Yi turned, smiling faintly, and stood up.

“Jiu’er, I’ve prepared hot water for you to wash up,” Jian Yi said, going over to test the water temperature, then picking up a towel and wringing it out.

Before Feng Jiu’er could finish complaining, Jian Yi’s tall figure had already come to stand before her.

“Here.” He bent down, bringing the towel in his hand close to Feng Jiu’er’s face.

Feng Jiu’er frowned and shrank back, dodging him.

“Have you actually been listening to a word I say?” She shot Jian Yi a look, took the towel, and began wiping her own face.

“I can’t very well lock the door even when I sleep, can I? Big Brother Jian Yi, you’re a man, I’m a woman — I have my privacy too.”

“But I heard you stayed in my room for a very long time,” Jian Yi said, bending over to retrieve her boots from under the bed and setting them straight.

“Where are we headed next? I’ll go with you.”

“I don’t want you to come with me!” Feng Jiu’er snorted coldly.

Could she really never fully relax while sleeping, ever again?

She didn’t even know herself whether she behaved properly while asleep — if she’d done something improper in her sleep, that would be far too embarrassing.

Feng Jiu’er bent down, put her legs into the boots, tugged them into place, and stood up.

“Jian Yi.” She looked up, only then realizing just how tall this great hero really was.

Feng Jiu’er stared at his handsome face and frowned.

“From now on, don’t just walk into my room while I’m resting, understood?”

“I stay in your room because I need to take care of you.”

“I want to take care of you too,” Jian Yi replied softly.

Feng Jiu’er’s gaze fixed, and she nearly wanted to cry out to the heavens.

“I don’t need you to take care of me, unless I’m sick, all right?”

Was great hero Jian Yi genuinely dense, or just pretending not to understand?

Feng Jiu’er frowned, reached out her slender hand, and patted this silent man.

“Jian Yi.” Suddenly, she raised her voice.

This was a serious matter — it concerned her reputation. No matter what, it had to be made clear.

At last, Jian Yi nodded slightly. “I understand.”

“Jiu’er, come.” He turned and took hold of her small hand.

“I had people prepare afternoon tea — all your favorites.”

“Once we finish afternoon tea, we’ll go back to work. No matter how urgent things are, you still have to take care of your health. The body is the foundation of everything.”

Feng Jiu’er looked at the man leading her forward, feeling a bit dazed.

Everyone kept saying Jian Yi had changed, and it truly wasn’t just idle teasing — he really had changed, and changed a great deal.

Jian Yi led Feng Jiu’er to a certain spot and stopped.

He let go of her hand, picked up a cloak, draped it over Feng Jiu’er’s shoulders, and even personally tied the sash for her.

Feng Jiu’er tapped the back of his hand and murmured, “I can do it myself.”

Jian Yi said nothing more, but as he withdrew his hands, a smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth.

That warm, gentle smile of his was caught perfectly by Feng Jiu’er.

Such a perfect man — whoever ended up with him would surely be happy.

Time had slipped by so quickly, and Feng Jiu’er found herself somewhat anxiously hoping that the woman meant for great hero Jian Yi would appear soon.

These days hadn’t been easy for any of them, but it wasn’t as though there had been no good news at all.

The match between Xing Zichou and Xiao Yingtao was already settled.

Next came Qiao Mu and her Third Imperial Brother — that pairing still had some issues for now, but the ending would surely be a good one.

Then there were Yinan and Qinchun, both so pure-hearted, so well matched, and so in love.

Yu Jingfeng and Xuepiao — who knew, one day they might surprise her too.

Zhao Yusheng and Liuyang clearly had feelings for each other, but one didn’t dare speak up and the other couldn’t quite recognize it — they’d just have to wait and see.

Yang Sheng was a good one too; Feng Jiu’er had seen it with her own eyes, and she hoped he’d find happiness as well.

It wasn’t just the people around her — within Longying, more and more pairs were forming.

Fortunately, Tianji Hall had had quite a few girls back then; with the brothers having lived through life and death together for so long, it wasn’t surprising that feelings would develop between men and women.

Thinking of this, Feng Jiu’er found herself with yet another headache-inducing problem.

“Let’s go — I know exactly what I need to take charge of first.”

She finished tying her sash, pulled Jian Yi along, turned, and strode outside.

Jian Yi watched her small retreating figure, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly, and followed after her.

After finishing the afternoon tea Jian Yi had prepared, Feng Jiu’er headed out.

With Zhao Yusheng handling the sulfur matters, she had nothing to worry about there for now.

“Jiu’er, why didn’t you sleep a little longer?” In the medicine refining room, Xiao Yingtao looked up at the person entering and came out to greet her.

Feng Jiu’er had already come by once that morning, and she was quite satisfied with everyone’s performance.

Xiao Yingtao watched her walk in and followed her inside.

“Don’t worry! Nothing’s wrong for now — if nothing unexpected happens, the first batch of antidote will be ready in three days.”

The brothers Yang Sheng led hadn’t gone with Di Wu Ya; they’d stayed behind.

Their lives were still on a countdown, unless a genuine cure for the poison could be developed.

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er nodded and kept walking forward.

Feng Jiu’er made a round through the temporary medicine workshop, and everyone greeted her with a smile as she passed.

She nodded to each of them in turn, then returned to a spot not far from the entrance.

“Xiao Yingtao, do you think we could open our Longying pharmacy here in Yongshan City nearby?” Feng Jiu’er asked, looking at Xiao Yingtao.

Xiao Yingtao frowned, then nodded. “Just leave that to Xing Zichou.”

“If Jiu’er really wants to do this, Xing Zichou will definitely handle it well.”

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er nodded with satisfaction. “This location is good. I’m also planning to add rouge and fragrances to the line.”

She looked at Shen Rong’er walking toward them and waved. “Rong’er, you’ve come at just the right time. I have something to discuss with you.”